BOOK #15

Start with The Dukes Sword. Flaherty stops to help fix a broken carriage wheel. And he ends up staring down the muzzle of a blunderbuss! When Flaherty moves toward the coachman, the younger man steps backward, trips, and the gun goes off! He dives to the side, but catches some scattershot. He hauls the coachman to his feet, shakes him, and his hat falls off. A cascade of angel-blonde hair slips free, tangling around Flaherty's wrist. The nick to Flaherty's pride is equal to the wound in his side-he's been bested by a woman! Phillipa Stanhope would do anything to protect her widowed friend and newborn son.  Her friend has received a heinous threat from her brother-in-law-he intends take her babe the moment it's born! Though the risk of traveling right after giving birth is great to her friend and her infant son-they have no choice. Flaherty hears the thin wail of an infant and notices the fragile-looking woman holding a bundle to her chest. He takes charge and escorts the trio to Summerfield Chase for their safety. After Flaherty's temper cools down, and he hears the whole story, he has a change of heart and offers marriage to protect Pippa. Pippa cannot leave her friend unprotected, and she bargains with Flaherty. If he agrees to let Millie and her babe live with them, she'll accept his proposal. An attempted kidnapping leaves Pippa injured and the both of them realizing the true depth of their feelings for one another.